Moving to Connecticut
New residents have 90 days to get a Connecticut driver license and must register a car within 90 days. Prices are 3.6% above the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $4,975 in Connecticut income tax. 47,953 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from New York and Massachusetts.
New resident checklist for Connecticut
Driver license
Transfer your out-of-state license within 90 days of residency (30 days for a CDL); a vision test is required. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Connecticut address.
Vehicle title and registration
Register within 90 days of residency, in person by appointment. Emissions test needed for vehicles 4+ model years old; newer or exempt vehicles need a VIN verification instead. Original title required. Switch your auto insurance to a Connecticut policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: No sales tax if the vehicle was registered in your name in another state for at least 30 days before you became a CT resident; otherwise 6.35% (7.75% over $50,000) with credit for tax paid elsewhere.
Annual registration: Flat $120 passenger registration fee per multi-year registration term plus $15 Clean Air Act fee and small plate/admin fees; municipal property tax on vehicles is billed separately by your town.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: none.
Establishing residency
Residency is established when you move to CT and make it your home; the 90-day clocks run from that date. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Connecticut
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Make sure your employer withholds Connecticut income tax from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,671 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: portal.ct.gov. Sources: portal.ct.gov (2), portal.ct.gov (3), portal.ct.gov (4), portal.ct.gov (5). Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Connecticut motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Connecticut
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Connecticut.
Equal salary in CT: $81,200
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,200 in Connecticut to match $85,000 in New York ($3,800 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $85,000 | New York | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $9,870 | $9,870 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,503 | $6,503 |
| State income tax | $3,993 | $4,075 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $367 | $425 |
| Take-home pay | $64,267 | $64,128 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Connecticut: New York to Connecticut, Massachusetts to Connecticut, Florida to Connecticut, New Jersey to Connecticut, California to Connecticut and Rhode Island to Connecticut.
Living in Connecticut: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Connecticut is not in the best 10 on any of the measures we rank, and in the worst 10 for electric bills, property tax rate, health premiums, natural hazard risk, state income tax and overall prices.
- Median rent
- $1,550/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $2,789/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $73,705 $1,374 less than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 1.66% median $6,573/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 93 of 100 Among the highest of U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 47,953 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Connecticut
How Connecticut ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Connecticut ranks best
Connecticut is not in the best 10 on any of these measures. Its strongest is household income, 11th highest of 51.
Where Connecticut ranks worst
- Bottom 5 Highest electric bills: $200 a month on average (EIA 2024), 2nd highest of 51.
- Bottom 5 Highest property tax rate: 1.66% of home value a year, 3rd highest of 51.
- Bottom 5 Highest Marketplace health premiums: $870 a month for a benchmark plan at age 40, before subsidies (KFF 2026), 5th highest of 51.
- Bottom 10 Highest natural hazard risk: FEMA risk score 93 of 100, tied with 1 other state for 8th highest.
- Bottom 10 Highest state income tax: $4,975 on a $100,000 salary, 9th highest of 51.
- Bottom 10 Highest overall prices: price level 103.6 (U.S. = 100, BEA 2024), 10th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Connecticut residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 47,953 households filed their taxes in Connecticut after filing in another state the year before. New York sent the most, 15,535 households (32% of the total). Connecticut lost a net 5,674 households to other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Connecticut from other states peaked in 2020–21 at 50,810 households, then fell 6% to 47,953 in 2022–23, up 21% from 2018–19. Connecticut lost households to other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 −8,776, 2019–20 −2,947, 2020–21 −465, 2021–22 −6,544, 2022–23 −5,674.
Cost of living in Connecticut vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Connecticut are 3.6% above the U.S. average, 42nd cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in utilities (146.5), 47% above the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $200/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $1,394/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $870/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Connecticut: take-home pay at three incomes
Connecticut taxes wages. Workers also pay about $500 a year in state payroll programs at $100,000, which the take-home figures include. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | CT income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $2,000 | $40,105 | -$673 |
| $100,000 | $4,975 | $73,705 | -$1,374 |
| $150,000 | $8,225 | $104,816 | -$2,771 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Connecticut income and payroll taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 6.35% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $6,573 a year in property tax, 1.66% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Connecticut taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Connecticut: where a paycheck goes furthest
Of the 4 Connecticut metro areas we cover, Norwich is the best value: about $81,400 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax. Bridgeport takes the most, $87,700.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich | $81,400 | 100.4 | $1,440 | $362,800 |
| Hartford | $83,600 | 102.7 | $1,458 | $367,100 |
| New Haven | $85,500 | 104.6 | $1,600 | $383,600 |
| Bridgeport | $87,700 | 106.9 | $1,895 | $615,800 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Housing and home insurance in Connecticut
| Measure | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,550 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $396,900 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,789 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $119,521 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $6,573 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,671 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Connecticut for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Connecticut
Connecticut's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 93 of 100, among the highest of U.S. counties and 43rd safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $337 per resident a year, and about 60% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Connecticut county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Connecticut come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 47,953 households moved to Connecticut from other states. The most came from New York (15,535 households), Massachusetts (6,006) and Florida (4,519).
What are the pros and cons of living in Connecticut?
Connecticut is not in the best 10 of the 50 states and D.C. on any measure we rank; its strongest is household income, 11th highest of 51. Where it ranks worst: highest electric bills, 2nd highest of 51; highest property tax rate, 3rd highest of 51; highest Marketplace health premiums, 5th highest of 51; highest natural hazard risk, tied with 1 other state for 8th highest; highest state income tax, 9th highest of 51; highest overall prices, 10th highest of 51.
Is Connecticut expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Connecticut are 3.6% above the U.S. average (BEA price level 103.6, 2024), 42nd cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,550 a month and the median home is worth $396,900.
How long do I have to get a Connecticut driver license after moving?
90 days after becoming a resident. Transfer your out-of-state license within 90 days of residency (30 days for a CDL); a vision test is required.
How long do I have to register my car in Connecticut?
90 days. Register within 90 days of residency, in person by appointment. Emissions test needed for vehicles 4+ model years old; newer or exempt vehicles need a VIN verification instead. Original title required.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Connecticut?
No sales tax if the vehicle was registered in your name in another state for at least 30 days before you became a CT resident; otherwise 6.35% (7.75% over $50,000) with credit for tax paid elsewhere.
What makes me a Connecticut resident?
Residency is established when you move to CT and make it your home; the 90-day clocks run from that date.